pollen Look up pollen at Dictionary.com
1760 as a botanical term for the fertilizing element of flowers (from Linnĉus, 1751), earlier "dust" (1523), from L. pollen "mill dust, fine flour," related to polenta "peeled barley," and pulvis (gen. pulveris) "dust," from PIE base *pel- "dust, porridge made of meal" (cf. Gk. poltos "pap, porridge," Skt. palalam "ground seeds," Lith. pelenai, O.C.S. popelu, Rus. pepelo "ashes"). Pollination is first recorded 1875, from Fr. pollination, formed 1812 from L. pollen.